2012 Porsche 911 Carrera S - Down With SPP

Supreme Power Parts builds a breath-taking 991 Carrera S

Although Porsche design moves forward at glacial speed, it's universally accepted that the newest 991 version of the iconic 911 is one of the best to date. Its rounded muscularity doesn't need to win new fans but it's certainly won the approval of existing buyers.

Among them is Eric Nareshni, owner of Supreme Power Parts and a pillar of the Southern California tuning scene. Not only does he assist with many of our project car installations, utilizing his full workshop facilities, but he built or was involved in countless feature cars, from GTIs to BMWs and Audis, that previously appeared in eurotuner magazine.

As a business, SPP stepped up to the big league a few years ago, working on high-end sports cars, such as the Porsche 911 Turbo on last month's cover (EC 4/13), while remaining true to its sport compact roots. Eric's personal cars have followed suit, progressing from 3 Series and A4 to his current Porsche 911.

His beginnings were humble enough, originally working at AMS in Los Angeles before stepping away to help his father run Supreme Power, the family electrical business. As things settled down at home, Eric's automotive passion saw him selling and fitting parts from the family's Placentia, CA warehouse, keeping the same name but evolving to Supreme Power Parts in 2000.

Working out of just 800sqft originally, SPP has since expanded to 8000sqft as the electrical business wound down. He's also begun manufacturing his own product lines that will launch this year.

One of Nareshni's strongest relationships is with Peter Nam at Vorsteiner. The pair has known each other since Vorsteiner's founding and Eric consulted with Peter even before he bought the car. "I talked to Peter about the new 911 and we both decided it was the ideal candidate for his treatment," he told us.

The decision to finally purchase the car was spontaneous. He was at the local Porsche dealer collecting parts for a customer's car when he decided to sign the paperwork. Trading his Range Rover from photos on his phone, Eric left that night in the Carrera White Porsche and delivered it to Vorsteiner, where it would be used to prototype the first body kit.

Motorsport

In the meantime, Eric bought parts such as an H&R spring kit and the BBS Motorsport E88 wheels. The latter were 19x9.5" front and 11" rear but he later bought new inner barrels and centers to rebuild the rear wheels to 11.5" wide with a different offset, allowing the close fitment seen here.

"I always dreamed of my own 911 with BBS Cup wheels. It took 30 years but the car hasn't changed much in that time so the dream remained alive," he told us.

Vorsteiner's work led to the pre-preg carbon fiber V-GT aero kit you see here. It includes the V-GT front spoiler with splitter, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear wing. The body kit costs a hefty $10k but Eric wasn't afraid to paint over it. "We looked at painting everything white," Eric explained, "but it seemed to flow better with part of the front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser left in carbon. And the quality is so good it was a shame to cover it all."

One of the most expensive parts is the rear diffuser, which wraps around Akrapovic tailpipes but also extends under the car to clean up the airflow and aid the aerodynamic efficiency. It's reaches further than the original factory part but mounts easily.

The titanium exhaust was a relatively new addition that cost $9400 and is claimed to increase output by 18hp/28 lb-ft while reducing weight by 20 lb. It uses two-side and two center mufflers to replace the stock system after the factory cats. It's also valved (like the Porsche exhaust) so you can alter the sound by flipping a switch in the cabin.

Originally, Eric had muffler delete pipes from BBi Autosport, with whom he helped build the widebody 911 from last month's issue. The company constructed pipes that enabled the two side mufflers to be removed, allowing the engine to breathe and sound better.

The Porsche specialists also fabricated the bolt-in rear rollcage, painting it the same Carrera White in the process. "The BBi cage gets a lot of attention," Eric confirmed. "People want to know who does that to a new car, but it really changed how it looks and drives."

In case you didn't spot the rollcage, the Recaro SPG seats and six-point Schroth harnesses should grab your attention. Supplied by distributor Griffin Motorwerke, they also provided aluminum side mounts to fit them.

While the BBS wheels created the motorsport theme; the carbon fiber parts, rollcage and seats supported it. So inevitably, the 991 would also need big brakes to tie it all together. Teaming up with Brembo, Eric fitted the $8k Gran Turismo kit with 380mm drilled rotors all round, but six-piston calipers up front and four- in the rear.

Familiar

By now, you might be thinking Eric's car looks familiar. Well, its popped up in different places and different guises, appearing in the Pirelli Tires booth at SEMA but with the stock wheels in place. It was used to highlight the OE fitments offered by the tire maker, so aftermarket wheels weren't needed but it still wears wide Pirelli P Zero Trofeo tires in its current configuration.

However, the same car has also appeared in Vorsteiner promotional material sporting 21x9" front and 21x11" rear forged Vorsteiner VS110 wheels in both a silver and gunmetal finish. And while the VS110 is a stunning design, Eric loves his BBS, preferring the smaller 19" diameter.

Supreme Power Parts is also planning to introduce a new range of race-inspired wheels this year. Offered in 19 and 20" sizes, unfortunately the forgings weren't available in time for our photo shoot. However, Eric predicts it won't be long before the Carrera S is sold and a 4S occupies its place in the SPP workshop...